 Can I call Kate Forbes please? Ms Forbes. structure is announced by RBS to have on communities across Scotland. Minister. Last week's announcement by RBS is to close a further 62 Scottish branches is a body blow to communities across Scotland. This most recent announcement is the latest in the long line of branch closure announcements a programme that is rapidly accelerating and these closure a manfr o ryei ar Authority. Felly, dweudio gwaith o ryei, myth gweithio rhaid, ei hyn, wrth ddechrau i yn adnodd, oedd gystafelio ar y rhywbeth ar-iarwadau'r cymaint. Felly, rydyn nhw'n ei bod yn meddwlifodig i'r cyfalwyr, i'n meddygu'r gyflwyngau cymaint ei gael i gael i'r cyflwyngau ac efallai i'r cyflwyngau cyflwngau ar gymrithgiadau ac oedd y cyflwyngau cyflwyngau ar-arwadau. However, although not a devolved responsibility, the Scottish Government stands ready to work constructively with UK ministers, RBS management, unions and wider stakeholders to support and reassure customers in light of these planned branch closures and to minimise the negative impact of closures on the wellbeing of those communities that are affected across Scotland. In our view, the UK Government should not be a passive bystander. It should take immediate action to defend customers and ensure that communities, and particularly the most vulnerable members of those communities, continue to have access to day-to-day banking services, including ATM provision, and to ensure that businesses have the ability to safely, locally deposit their takings. While respecting that commercial decisions have been taken by RBS and acknowledging that the use of online banking is growing, the Scottish Government remains steadfast in our opposition to those planned closures proceeding until such time as a guaranteed minimum level of service provision for essential banking services is in place. I thank the minister for that answer and that reminder that banking is a reserved matter and that the UK Government owns a 71 per cent stake in RBS. On behalf of taxpayers and it is many of those taxpayers, for example in Keil, Malig, Buley and Avymor, whose local branch is being closed and who may now have to travel over an hour to the closest branch, has the minister been able to speak to his counterpart in the UK Government about his views on this matter? Yes, I have. I have spoken with Stephen Barclay, the economic secretary, to the treasurer yesterday afternoon to press the case for a guaranteed level of access to essential banking services. The UK Government has made clear that, in spite of its majority stake in RBS, it will not exercise any influence that it may have to support RBS' customers at this time. I very much appreciate that RBS does and must operate on a commercial basis. However, the UK Government, as the Government with responsibility for regulation for the financial sector, has a duty to ensure that banking system meets the needs of all users, whether it be in areas such as Avymor, Buley and other vital local communities across Scotland. We believe that, while respecting those commercial relationships that the banks have with the Government, it should work to ensure that robust alternative options are in place before allowing those branch closures to take place. I thank the minister for that answer. I think that it is worth noting that the announcement by RBS is just the latest in a series of announcements about branch closures that have seen banks totally desert rural communities such as those in my constituency. It is the elderly, cash-based businesses and rural residents who have the most to lose. How important is it that there is that minimum level of banking services in the most rural-dependent communities? I apologise again, Ms Forbes. I was ahead of myself. I certainly agree with the member and my colleague for representing Argyll and Bute beside me. I know very much in communities such as Inverary and the Borders where I live. Those are very acutely felt. However, I agree that those closures will have the greatest impact and will be least able to make use of alternative services. We are aware that people within the community and customers of RBS for whom online banking is something entirely new or entirely frightening, depending on their perspective. Clearly, their ability to use online services may be limited at stake. I am reassured to some extent by conversations with RBS that they are going to make great effort to train those customers on how to access services. However, we all know in areas of rural Scotland that there are still challenges in terms of digital access. Progress is being made, but we are still aware that there are households and customers around the country that may have access to their digital services being limited. We need to ensure that suitable, accessible alternative provisions are made to ensure that no customers are left unbanked by those branch closures. Further to that, I am aware of the work that RBS is doing with post office. It is looking to expand the range of post offices that are covering areas that are losing branches. That is welcome, but I am also aware that there are limits to how much cash can be banked at post offices, something that I raised with Stephen Barthley yesterday. There are also challenges in terms of the range of services that are available within post offices. Effectively, it is a basic banking service, not a full-range banking service, so that is a concern that we have also raised with the UK minister. Were there commitments by RBS to expand its mobile banking network, we have also concerns that it may not have sufficient vehicles and vehicles with disabled access that would allow all customers to access services. There is much to be done, and we want to have a dialogue with RBS and the UK Government about making sure that those limitations are addressed before the closures take place. I have at least eight members who want to ask questions. I would ask respectfully if the minister could be brief her in his comments. I am sure that they will be duplicated. I will try to get through as many as possible, bearing in mind that there is a debate next week as well. The minister mentioned in his reply to Kate Forbes on the issue of internet banking, which is used by RBS. That is one of the reasons for closing branches. However, as I am sure that the minister will appreciate, there are many parts of rural Scotland, including areas of Perth and Kinross, where a number of branches are closing, where mobile and broadband connectivity are such that people cannot do internet banking, even if they wanted to. Will the minister make those points forcefully to RBS when he meets them, as I and my colleagues have already done? I certainly recognise the point in my response to Kate Forbes. I think that Murdo Fraser is raising that fairly. Clearly, progress is being made on ensuring digital access, but we are all aware that the reality is on the ground. There will still be communities, whether it is in Persia or the Highlands or other parts of rural Scotland. Indeed, some urban communities where either mobile banking is via mobile phones or broadband is still a challenge. That is something that we very strongly encourage RBS to consider. We have raised that issue already, but I will continue to raise that point with RBS, and hopefully we will still make progress on that issue. Mike Rumbles followed by Joan McAlpine. I have written to the chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland asking him to examine the possibility of working with other businesses, even his competitors, to establish shared premises from which to operate. Will the minister agree that he supports such an initiative that would share costs and allow banks to remain in our local towns and villages across the north-east of Scotland, which is particularly hit by those proposed closures? I certainly welcome that. Mike Rumbles makes a point that is similar to the point that I have raised myself with RBS. I think that he is right to try and challenge these issues. Is it strictly necessary to close all branches if there could be collaboration in providing essential facilities? As I understand it, there would need to be primary legislation change to allow that to happen. That would obviously be a matter for UK Parliament in terms of the regulatory powers and legal powers over banking and financial services resting at Westminster. However, we certainly have made comments and I would welcome dialogue with RBS. I believe that he is right to identify the need for banks to collaborate. They do traditionally see themselves very much as competitors and do not talk about those issues, whether it is ATM provision or indeed branch provision. I think that there is an opportunity out of the very strong public concern that has been raised here in relation to the latest tranches of closures and previous tranches for the banks to actually look to collaborate to try and address the issue. There is obviously a growth in online banking. We are not blind to that. We recognise that it is happening, but the pace of change is catching customers out. I think that that is the key challenge that we all have to face. Joan McAlpine, followed by Neil Findlay. Those proposed closures do not just affect small villages. I have calculated that there are 16 branches right across my south of Scotland region that will be affected, including market towns such as Lockerbie, Annan and Langham. Last year, the Royal Bank of Scotland tried to improve its image with a brand campaign calling itself the Royal Bank for Scotland. Does the minister agree with me that many people will feel very cynical on regard that as a breach of advertising standards at the very least? Unfortunately, I am not the regulator of advertising, but I take Joan McAlpine's point. I recognise in my area in the eastern area of the borders that my nearest branch is now in England, which is an irony. Given the point that Joan McAlpine has just made about branding, it is a concern that six of the eight branches left in the borders are being closed as part of the programme. A quarter of all Royal Banks branches across Scotland are closing six in one local authority area. There are other local authorities such as South Lanarkshire, which are losing seven branches out of the latest programme. Clearly, it is having a potentially quite devastating impact at a local level. That is why it has raised so much concern at this point. The previous closures that have been made have been given reassurances that the nearest branch should be in the local town, and therefore villages need not suffer too badly. Now those branches are going as well. That has got serious consequences for vulnerable customers. Small businesses now have very lengthy travelling arrangements to travel in order to bank their cash. In a tourism-driven economy in much of rural Scotland, that is a real challenge. Neil Findlay, followed by Donald Cameron. RBS has bailed out of West Lothian leaving only Bathgate and Livingston branches open. In each of the places where they have vacated, we now have properties lying on the high street vacant. Many community groups want those properties to take them over for community use, but they have been refused by RBS because of their greed, because they want their hands on the cash. Is not it a disgrace that there is no legacy being left after years of loyalty from customers in those communities? I do think that there is an issue here—not just RBS but other banks as well—that had loyal customers for many generations who have supported the banks and have been supported by the banks in return. We should not forget that, but I do think that Neil Findlay makes a valid point regarding what happens to the vacant branches once they are closed. Certainly, it does not need to be a black or white situation. We have availability of funding through the Scottish land fund, if there is an interest in taking over facilities. If there is a willingness on the part of the banks to sell to those communities, we can maybe find a way. That is where this Parliament can make its view clear and to Royal Bank and other banks that we would potentially look to the bank to engage in those opportunities with local communities and see if the facilities can be used, whether it is to house community facilities or credit unions or other alternatives. That would be certainly welcome to have that dialogue with RBS and other retail banks. It is not just RBS, unfortunately, that are closing branches. What resources can the minister give to island communities such as Barra, whose RBS branch is under threat and who are particularly vulnerable by their very nature to the closure of services? As I explained in my original answer, because this Parliament does not have regulatory or legislative powers, there is nothing that we can do directly to force banks to change their minds. Clearly, as a parliamentarian, we can all make our views known to RBS and to the senior management team in RBS over concerns. Island communities such as Barra recognise the ludicrous situation that I think that Angus Brendan MacNeill as MP for Western Isles made the point that it would probably be easier for someone from a tent to travel to Calate to do their bank and it would be for someone from Barra to get to the mainland. That is the real nature of the challenge that we face in our most remote and rural communities and that is why it is so potentially devastating to lose our branch network. There really needs to be a concerted effort to make sure that there is adequate provision left for communities once those branches go, if they go at all, but we obviously have no direct power in this place to influence that decision, so it really is down to UK ministers who have a controlling stake in the bank to make their influence felt. I am sorry that that must include topical questions. I apologise to Alex Neil and Alex Rowley for being unable to take them. I hope that they are in the debate next week and must move on to the next item of business. I apologise, Mr Lyle, as well. Let me not forget you.